Redshift 4

by Cinegram Media

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000053F9B
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 31, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,102 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Astronomy is a very popular hobby, and many people find computer software helps them pursue this interest. Software can be very flexible in its approach, helping you identify what you're looking at in the night sky on any particular date and learn more about astronomy in general. RedShift 4 is no exception. Indeed, many have regarded past incarnations of this title as the best astronomy software available.

The great thing about RedShift 4 is that it works well for both novice and experienced astronomers. The Sky Diary is on hand for you to look up interesting events for the month ahead, from meteor showers to phases of the moon and eclipses. The program explains each event and when best to look for it. Manipulating the night sky is easy, too. You can add and remove objects simply, and can even plot spacecraft as they track across the sky.

If armchair learning is more to your liking, you can browse the photo gallery, with its 400-plus photos taken with some of the most sophisticated telescopes in the world. You can also view the multimedia tutorials that talk you through the history of the solar system, the big bang, double stars, and more. And for a real treat, how about observing the night sky from the surface of Mars, or Jupiter, or the moon? RedShift was always a powerful piece of software. It just got better. --Sandra Vogel

Amazon.com Product Description

RedShift 4 offers a presentation of our universe, created by experts and filled with scientifically accurate information. Penetrate millions of light years into space, plot out the constellations, analyze dramatic cosmic events, and print accurate star maps. RedShift 4 has been designed for both novices and professionals. The easy-to-learn and user-friendly interface helps beginners navigate around the heavens. The advanced astronomer can rely on accurate and in-depth information from comprehensive catalogs, including the new Tycho-2 Catalog, the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Catalog, and the General Catalog of Variable Stars.

Features include the following:

• Multiple windows allow simultaneous views of events from multiple locations. For example, you can watch an eclipse from the earth, moon, and sun all at the same time.
• RedShift's real-time celestial mechanics engine plots the positions of over 18,000,000 stars, allowing you to see the universe at any point from 4713 B.C. to A.D. 9999.
• The movie recorder feature lets you create videos of your own journeys through space and time.
• Plan the best time for observations with the Sky Diary and Visibility reports.
• Integrated multimedia Story of the Universe.
• Over 80,000 other objects, including 7,000 deep sky objects, such as star clusters, nebulae, and non-optical sources.
• A comprehensive and newly updated Dictionary of Astronomy.
• A direct connection to the RedShift Web site for downloading new discoveries, upgrades, and tech support.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Redshift 4 - A BIG let-down! Better with Redshift 3!, February 11, 2001

By 

Rick George (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Redshift 4 (CD-ROM)

After using Redshift 3 which is excellent, and smooth running. I found Redshift 4 a big dissapointment. Main reasons is its sluggish speed. It sometimes crashes especially if you do not change back to disk 1 from disk 2 immediately. The user interface is more difficult than Redshift 3 , and unlike R3 appears to have NO keyboard commands or control. I noticed some things missing, like the 3d orbital view windows as with R3. No improvements in graphics, Open GL option would have improved and speeded up graphics. Other than the extra Tycho2 and Hubble information Redshift 4 is a BIG let down. Should have named it Redshift 2.5! I will stick to Redshift 3.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Redshift 4 - Warned!, February 1, 2003

By 

Jim Opalek (Castalian Springs, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Redshift 4 (CD-ROM)

As an amateur astronomer who has experience using a great variety of astronomy/planetarium software, I eagerly awaited the release of Redshift 4. One or two of the features I had requested in correspondence to the developer were to be included in this release. In my opinion, Redshift 4 shares very little with its wonderful predecessor, Redshift 3. Though you have more options and improved control in selecting what you wish to see regarding deepsky objects, limiting magnitudes, object labels, zoom levels, etc., it all gets lost in a very cumbersome interface that leaves you frustrated and willing to compromise.
Two other areas where I found the software very below expectations were in having to open or create a work session, or event screen to begin, and in the printed sky charts. At least with my equipment, stars on the printed charts appeared the same size whether they were magnitude 2 or magnitude 6. Not good for starhopping or use as finder charts at all!.
In the Redshift legacy, I am so grateful I retained Redshift 3. Though support has dwindled for this release (when I last checked, Piranha Publishing and Maris Multimedia were no longer providing updates for new comets and asteroids - you may want to check for yourself), Redshift 3 still ranks as premiere astronomy software which is useful at just about every level (wish it had eyepiece and telrad fov indicators). Where it is unsurpassed however, is in its fun and educational factors. It's hard to find a better program to learn the sky and the awesome hobby of astronomy.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NO! They ruined it!, July 20, 2002

By 

R. C. NELSON (Jacksonville, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Redshift 4 (CD-ROM)

Redshift 3 was, hands down, the you-know-what in this software category. It was near-perfection! They have brought it down to the garden variety of its competitors. I will stay with Redshift 3!

BTW, I am a PhD in astronomy, so if I seem upset, please see the other posts. I am not alone. This is its competitor with the little squeaky hand, not the great Redshift we have come to know and love.

Navigation is terrible, and frames change settings with views. I am going to be ill. Excuse me. Nooooo!